The Basics

There are three main categories of components included in a comprehensive housing trust fund proposal:

Administrative elements – the entity that will administer the fund and make awards, the process by which proposals will be solicited and awarded; and reporting and oversight mechanisms;

Programmatic elements – the types of activities that will be funded, who will be eligible to apply for funding, the populations that will benefit from the fund, and the requirements that will apply to funded projects; and

Revenue Sources – how the housing trust fund will be funded.

Many of these elements are interrelated: if you want to serve extremely low income populations, for example, you may need to make funds available to cover operating and maintenance expenses or rental subsidies in some form. As you define each piece of the proposal, it is also important to consider how they fit into and impact the whole.